On to the Future
by KairiAngel13
Summary: Just a few months after learning she's pregnant, Hanna loses her baby in a freak accident caused by A. Hanna is devastated and Caleb feels he has failed to protect her- but can Allison get him to see that the future is more valuable than his past mistakes? One-Shot. HALEB.


**A/N:** **Hey guys! I am so excited to be posting my first "Pretty Little Liars" fanfiction here in this archive. This is a one-shot that just popped up into my head one day and I have decided to type it up and test the waters out. So, read and let me know what you think!**

 **Disclaimer:** **I do not own the ABC Family network's hit series** _ **Pretty Little Liars;**_ **but if I did, I would definitely throw in a lot of "Haleb" moments and everyone would have known who** _ **A**_ **was by at LEAST season two lol**

 **Summary:** **Just a few months after learning she's pregnant, Hanna loses her baby in a freak accident caused by A. Hanna is devastated and Caleb feels he has failed to protect her- but can Allison get him to see that the future is more valuable than his past mistakes? One-Shot. HALEB.**

 **Pairing:** **[Hanna M. x Caleb R.] Allison D.**

 **Genre:** **Romance/Drama/Friendship**

 **Rating:** **T (Language)**

* * *

" _ **On to the Future"**_

The consistent beeping of a heart monitor. The low hum of air conditioner pouring cool air into the dimly lit room. The sounds of phones ringing, nurses talking, and carts rolling across the tiled floor on the other side of the door. Those were the only things that seemed to keep Caleb company as he stared at his girlfriend lying in the bed beside him.

Every time he looked at her face, he had to fight back the urge to cry. This pale-faced ghost lying before him was not his Hanna. Her hair was fanned out around her, the golden hue gone leaving dull locks in their place. Her blue eyes were hidden behind closed eyelids with bags clinging on for dear life beneath them. Her lips were cut, their usual rose color gone and replaced with dried blood. There were bruises and bandages covering every inch of exposed skin and the sight was horrendous. If it weren't for the heart monitor beside the bed giving a reminder every second that there was life in the body before him, he would swear she was dead.

Caleb growled angrily, his fingers curling around the bars of her bed as he stared down at the floor. Suddenly feeling claustrophobic, he stood from his seat, the metal legs of the chair scraping loudly against the floor as he turned around and left the room.

 _A_ had crossed a line. Out of all the things he and Hanna had been through since he joined in on the fun, this was the absolute worst. Hanna had been run over, he had been shot, and they had both gone through one horror after another- but nothing compared to this. There was so much anger and pain building up inside him that he just might explode and the one person he wanted to take it out on was long gone. Caleb stopped at the end of the corridor and slammed his fist against the wall. His knuckles pulsed from the contact, but he ignored the pain and leaned his forehead against the wall as he released a shaky breath.

He had been standing there for five minutes when a soft hand rested on his back. He lifted his head and turned to find Emily standing behind him, her eyes puffy and red. Her hair in a messy ponytail on top of her head. Caleb's heart clenched painfully as her eyes welled up with tears.

"Caleb…I am so sorry." She said, her voice breaking with each word. Caleb sighed as he leaned off the wall and pulled Emily into a hug. Her shoulders shook, but she made no sounds as she buried her face in his chest and sobbed.

"What happened wasn't your fault." He said. "This is all A's fault. It isn't yours, Aria's or Spencer's. You guys tried to help her and…that's all that matters."

"But we didn't get to her in time!" Emily shouted as she pulled away from him and wrapped her arms around herself. "Maybe if we had gotten to her sooner…maybe if we had realized that A was going after her…we could have saved Hanna and saved your-"

"Stop it." Caleb snapped. He only realized how harsh he had sounded after seeing Emily flinch. "I'm sorry Em, I didn't mean to snap. It's just that…I don't want to talk about it, okay?"

Emily nodded as she wiped her eyes clean of tears and looked down the hall. "Ali, Spencer and Aria took Hanna's mom out to get some fresh air. They should be back soon. I'm just going to go and sit with Hanna. You don't mind, do you?"

Caleb shook his head and watched Emily's retreating form before turning his attention to the hall in front of him. He caught sight of a sign above the wing and he tensed up. Before he knew it, his legs were pulling him down the wing and he found himself standing in front of a wall of glass where on the other side was a room of newborn infants- some of them screaming their heads off, some sleeping peacefully, and a few looking around the unfamiliar room trying to make sense of the world they had been brought into. Caleb raised a hand to the glass wall in front of him and stared at the infants. They were new to this world- so innocent without a care in the world. They had no idea that the world they had been brought into was chaotic and filled with dangers that outweighed the good in it.

" _Caleb…I'm pregnant…"_

Caleb's shoulders began to shake and he broke down as Hanna's voice floated through his head. She had been so scared to tell him, but _A_ had made certain she open her mouth about the whole event. The threats against their lives had gotten much worse since Alison was released from prison- and now that they all knew that Alison wasn't to blame, they were back to square one trying to figure out who _A_ was. Hanna knew that _A_ would eventually find out her secret and she had to tell Caleb before _A_ could find the opportunity to use it against her.

" _I just found out a few days ago and I have been going out of my mind trying to find a way to tell you. I was scared of what you might think, scared of what this would mean for us. I'm not ready for this kind of responsibility. I still have school to finish. I have to go to college and make a career for myself. Lest we not forget, A is still on the loose trying to make our lives miserable. If A finds out about this baby they'll use this against us, I know it- and Caleb…I can't let that happen. Look, I'm really scared and I don't know what to do…"_

Caleb had pulled her into his arms and kissed her as though his life depended upon it. He was terrified as hell. Nothing in the world would have been able to prepare him for this situation. His mind had begun racing with all kinds of scenarios and doubts. He hadn't had the best upbringing in the world and his parents set poor examples for him. How was he going to raise a child at his age, support Hanna, and ensure that they would both be loved and safe? He didn't know the answers to any of those questions- but he knew without a doubt that he loved the girl in his arms and would do anything it took to prove it to her. So he kissed her again, and again as he whispered sweet nothings and promises that they would make it out okay.

But he was wrong…he was very wrong…

* * *

Allison walked down the hall, a drink carrier in her hand as she made her way towards Hanna's room- but before she could head for the room, she spied someone down the hall. She raised an eyebrow and turned to see a man sitting on the floor in the pediatrics wing, his legs curled up to his chest and his face buried in the crook of his folded arms. She would have continued on her way until she noticed the black t-shirt he had on was the same as the one she spotted Caleb in earlier. She looked towards Hanna's room and spied Aria standing outside the room with Ezra before turning back to Caleb and heading towards him.

She slowed her pace as she approached him and suddenly felt like she was trekking through dangerous territory. She called out to him and jumped as his head shot up. He quickly rid his eyes of tears and stood to his feet before turning away from Allison and glaring down the hall.

"Caleb, are you okay?" she asked, keeping her distance from the guy.

"What kind of question is that?" He snapped, not bothering to turn around and look at her. "My girlfriend his lying in that hospital bed in a medically induced coma to help her heal from the trauma of A's latest attack. Yeah, I'm fucking fantastic Allison."

Allison's eye twitched as she tried to resist the urge to give the guy a piece of her mind, but she had to remind herself that he was hurting just as badly as she and the others were. She sighed and adjusted the carrier in her hand.

"I'm sorry if I upset you, it's just that I don't know what else to say to you. I'm not good with situations like this. I am used to covering up my pain and hurt just to get through the day. I was starting to think that you were like that too."

"You and I are nothing alike." Caleb said as he turned around and glared at her. "You are part of the reason she is lying in that bed right now. A despises your very existence and has been after you since you first left town and Hanna, Aria, Spencer and Emily have been paying dearly for your mistakes."

"You think I don't know that?" Allison asked, her eyes narrowing. "Caleb, I am no saint- you don't have to remind me. I know that I screwed up in the past. I have made some horrible decisions and I have treated people in such a way that I don't even deserve to have friends- but thankfully…Hanna and the others were willing to look past what I had done and were able to forgive me. I guess you can't do the same."

Caleb stared at Allison as she turned to leave. She paused and looked over her shoulder and Caleb was surprised to see tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry for what A did to Hanna. More importantly…I'm sorry that she lost the baby."

Allison turned and made her way down the hall, not bothering to look back, leaving Caleb alone with her words.

* * *

"I was supposed to be with her this weekend." Emily said as she watched Hanna sleeping. "She had this whole weekend planned out for us. We were going to hit up a party on her campus, do a little shopping and go to a street fair on Sunday afternoon. They were going to have all kinds of food and free stuff, and you know Hanna couldn't resist that."

Ashley Marin couldn't help but to laugh at Emily's words. "I was going to call her yesterday morning to make sure she was taking care of herself. I mean, she's all alone living in those dorms with no one to help take care of her. I had to make sure that she was eating right and getting plenty of rest for both hers and the baby's sake…but I got so caught up with making wedding plans that I pushed the thought off."

Spencer began rubbing Ashley's back comfortingly as the woman buried her face in her hands. She sighed and turned her attention to the ceiling as she mentally cursed _A_ for once again causing them so much pain.

"You guys, look!" Aria exclaimed, pulling everyone's attention towards her. Aria pointed at the bed where Hanna was clearly struggling to open her eyes.

Ashley moved to her daughter's bedside quickly and took her hand into hers, holding it like a life line as she began to encourage her baby to show her those pretty blue eyes she loved so much. After a minute of struggling, Hanna's eyes opened and slowly began to take in everything around her. Her eyes quickly filled with tears as she moaned.

"What's going on…?" she said, her voice hoarse from not being used in over twenty-four hours. "Why am I in the hospital? What happened?"

"Oh Hanna, you're awake!" Ashley exclaimed as she leaned over the bed to carefully give her daughter a hug without hurting her. "Honey, we've been so worried about you. How are you feeling?"

"Everything hurts…" Hanna moaned as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Hanna, do you remember what happened to you?" Aria asked slowly, as to not push her.

Hanna blinked a few times as she tried to recall the events of yesterday. Suddenly, her eyes widened and filled with tears.

"I was in the University Hall. I had gotten a text from an unknown sender asking me to meet them to exchange notes from my math class. I thought it might have been Courtney, so I went to meet them and wound up running into A. Next thing I know, I'm being chased through the halls and…he pushed me down the stairs, oh my God!"

Hanna sat up quickly ignoring her pain as she placed a hand over her flattened tummy. "The baby! Oh my God, my baby! What happened? Somebody tell me what happened!"

Allison and the others exchanged glances, none of them having the heart to tell Hanna what had happened. Hanna's eyes settled on Emily's face and the horrified look in her eyes was enough to let her know that the child she had been carrying for less than two months was gone. Hanna broke down crying and Ashley pulled her into her arms.

"The impact of the fall was too much." Ashley said as she rested her head on top of Hanna's. "There was nothing the doctors could do sweetheart, I'm so sorry."

Allison stood back near the door watching as a dark cloud drifted over the room. Suddenly feeling out of place, she made her way out of the room. She took a deep breath and placed a hand over her heart as she tried to calm herself. Suddenly remembering Caleb, Allison hurried down the hall towards the pediatrics wing. She gasped at the sight of the hall emptied of any people. She looked around frantically trying to locate Caleb, but she couldn't see him anywhere. She turned around and jogged over to the nurses' station.

"Excuse me, there was a guy hanging around in the pediatrics wing about twenty minutes ago- brown hair, a few inches taller than me, and he was wearing a black t-shirt. Did you happen to see him go by recently?"

"Yeah." The nurse said. "Last I saw him, he was getting on the elevator about five minutes ago."

Allison's eyes widened and she turned quickly to head for the elevator. She made her way downstairs into the main lobby and looked around frantically trying to locate Caleb, but couldn't see him anywhere. That's when she spotted someone sitting just outside the main doors dressed in a black t-shirt. She ran outside, the doors sliding open and closed behind her and she sighed in relief at the realization that it was Caleb.

"I was looking for you." She said in between breaths.

Caleb looked up at her, not bothering to show any emotion. "What do you want Allison? I thought we said everything we needed to say to each other earlier."

"Would you shut up and listen to me? Hanna is awake."

Caleb's eyes widened and he stood to his feet slowly. "How is she?"

Allison sighed and looked off to her right to avoid making eye contact with him. "She's in a lot of pain. Her mom told her about the miscarriage. Look, Hanna is in a lot of pain and she is going to need you. So, I suggest you head inside and be with your girlfriend."

When Caleb made no haste to move, Allison turned to him and was shocked to see him standing still looking down at the ground.

"Caleb, didn't you hear me? Hanna is falling apart upstairs and she needs you to be with her?"

"I can't go up there."

"And why the hell not?"

Caleb bit his bottom lip before looking up to meet Allison's gaze. "How can I face her knowing that every promise I made to her was broken?"

Allison raised an eyebrow, not understanding what he meant. Caleb sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"When Hanna first told me about the baby, I promised that I would always be there for her. I said I would protect her and keep her safe from A, but look what happened."

"You can't seriously be blaming yourself for Hanna's fall Caleb. You weren't even there- how could you possibly think it's your fault?"

"I should have been there with her." He said as he clenched his fists. "Hanna kept telling me how she felt unsafe being by herself at school and not having anyone there with her. Spencer and Aria are attending the same university and Emily is here in Rosewood going to community college for a while. I promised her that I would move up to be with her but I kept putting it off until I could handle some unfinished business here. After finding out about the baby, I had to make a few adjustments to help support myself, Hanna, and a kid. I was stressed to the maximum working and thought that it wouldn't hurt to wait a while and move. My selfishness left Hanna alone and vulnerable to being A's prey and now…"

"Stop it." Allison demanded as she walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Stop thinking about the past and all of the mistakes that you have made. All that matters now is the future and Hanna is going to need you to be a rock for her to make it that far. Take it from someone who knows, your past mistakes can weigh you down to the point that you feel like giving up…but you can't do that Caleb. You have to be strong."

Caleb couldn't believe that the girl standing in front of him- the girl who had caused Hanna and her friends so much grief and misery- was actually being helpful and honest with him. From the first time he had heard about Allison Dilaurentis, he had hated her for all that she had stood for and all that she had done- but now, he was beginning to see her in a different light. Perhaps she was more compassionate and held more feelings than people truly gave her credit for. Caleb smiled gratefully before wrapping his arms around her in a hug. Allison felt awkward being in his arms, but she smiled nonetheless and patted him on the back.

"Let's go Caleb. Someone really needs to see you right now."

* * *

Caleb and Allison stepped off the elevator and began their walk towards Hanna's room. Allison had her hand on his back the entire way to reassure him that everything would work out fine in the end. Caleb took a deep breath as they stopped just outside the door. Allison held up a finger before pushing the door open and stepping inside. Ezra and Aria were the first to spot her and they smiled as she and Caleb stepped into the room. Allison cleared her throat and everyone, with the exception of Ashley and Hanna, looked their way.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you guys, but Caleb would like a few minutes alone with Hanna."

At the mentioning of Caleb's name, Hanna looked up and locked eyes with him. Caleb could physically feel Hanna's pain as he took in her eyes and for a minute, he felt like turning and running, but Allison's hand found its way to his shoulder once again and he suddenly felt reassured. As everyone stood to leave the room, Caleb made his way over to Hanna's bedside. Ashley stood up and kissed her daughter on the forehead before heading out the room. Allison stood, holding the door open as everyone made their way out into the hall- but as she turned to leave, Caleb called out to her.

"Allison?"

"Yes?" she said as she looked towards him.

Caleb smiled gratefully and gave her a curt nod. Allison smiled before nodding back and exiting the room. As soon as the door shut, Caleb took a seat in Ashley's abandoned chair. He and Hanna couldn't find anything to say as they stared at each other- their eyes doing all the talking for them. When hers began to fill with tears, he stood and took a seat on the mattress beside her, pulling her into his arms.

"Hanna…I am so sorry." He said, his voice breaking.

"I lost our baby." She sobbed. "I was careless and fell into one of A's traps and lost our baby!"

"It's not your fault." Caleb said as he pulled her head to his chest. "None of what happened is your fault. You had no idea who sent you that text message and you were all alone. I should have been there with you like I said I was going to be. I shouldn't have stayed away for as long as I did."

"This can't be happening." Hanna cried. "I made plans…everything was going to work out in the end. You and I were going to be parents and we were going to be happy. We were supposed to protect each other from A…this isn't fair!"

"No Hanna, it isn't fair…but we'll get through this, I promise."

Hanna lifted her head from his chest. "How?"

Caleb smiled weakly as he gently stroked his fingers down her cheek. "We will help each other heal Hanna. When one of us cries or is feeling sad, we'll comfort each other. When we find ourselves feeling as though we can't go on, we will call each other and steer ourselves back onto the right track. When you're lonely, I'll come to you as soon as you call. We can do this Hanna. It's going to be hard, but I know we can."

Hanna managed to smile through her tears and let out a small laugh that was music to Caleb's ears. He smiled before grabbing her face in between his hands and gently bringing her lips to his.

* * *

Caleb awoke to the sound of Hanna screaming. Instantly, he was throwing the covers off himself and sprinting out of their bedroom down the hall. He found Hanna dressed in her silk nightgown and a robe standing in the middle of their living room. Caleb sighed in relief before walking into the room, his feet dragging across the carpet.

"Hanna, what the hell? You scared the crap out of me. I thought something was wrong."

When she didn't respond, he was immediately filled with worry. He walked across the room and stopped right in front of Hanna. She was holding a piece of paper with both of her hands and staring down at the words printed on it, an opened envelope at her feet, as her eyes leaked tears onto the paper.

"Hanna, what's wrong?" he asked.

When she looked up at him, she had a smile on her face in spite of her tears. "I got my test results back Caleb. We're going to have a baby!"

Caleb's face lit up at the news and he watched as Hanna dropped the paper and buried her face in her hands. He bent down and picked the paper up reading over the test results that had been sent to them from the hospital. There were a bunch of test results printed on the paper, but what caught Caleb's eyes were the words typed right below the test results.

 _Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Caleb Rivers. After conducting several tests, we can confirm through both blood and urinary examination that Hanna Rivers is pregnant. Please call Dr. Green's office as soon as possible to set up an appointment so we can begin working towards Hanna having a healthy and successful pregnancy. Our office hours are…_

Caleb couldn't help but to feel happiness swell up in his chest as he read over the words for a second time. He then set the paper on top of the coffee table before turning back to Hanna who still had her face in her hands. He smiled and walked over to pull her into his embrace. He sighed before resting his head on top of hers, rocking her gently in his arms as though they were dancing.

When Hanna finally lifted her head, she smiled at him again. "It's finally happening. I can't believe this is finally happening."

"I told you Hanna, all in good time." He said before placing a kiss on her forehead.

"I have to call Ali and the others." She said as she pulled out of his arms. "You know Emily is going to insist on being the godmother since Aria already has dibs on Spencer and Toby's baby. Then I need to call the office and let them know that I'm going to be taking my maternity leave as soon as I enter my ninth month. Then we need to think about getting a nursery together and gathering baby supplies."

"Hanna, slow down." Caleb said with a laugh as he placed both hands on her shoulders. "We have plenty of time to prepare."

Hanna's smile broadened at his words and she nodded. "I know…we have all the time in the world."

Hanna stood on her toes and gave her husband a quick kiss before snatching up her phone and heading towards the kitchen. Caleb sighed as he walked over to the front window and pulled the curtains back to stare out at the cul-de-sac surrounding his Pittsburg home. He could see a group of kids across the street playing in a sprinkler on their front lawn while their parents laughed and took pictures from their place on the porch. That was going to be him someday watching over his son or daughter as they played freely without a care in the world.

Caleb's thoughts turned to a darker time in his life where he never thought he would get this chance again. That fall that Hanna had taken really terrified them both into thinking they would never be safe from _A_ again- but after catching Allison's long lost brother and having him locked up, a weight had been lifted off their shoulders and for once in their lives, they felt free to live their lives the way they wanted to live. _A_ was a part of their pasts and now, Caleb and Hanna were working at getting a start on their futures. Caleb thought back on the conversation he had with Allison those seven years ago outside Rosewood Community Hospital and how she begged him not to let his past weigh him down. He smiled as he mentally thanked Allison for giving him the courage to stand by Hanna's side to help her heal after the ordeal they had suffered through.

"Caleb?" Hanna called out to him from the kitchen. "Come on, we have to start breakfast!"

Caleb smiled as he spared one last glance at the family across the street and pulled the curtain closed.

"On to the future."

* * *

 **A/N:** **And there you have it! I hope you guys enjoyed this one-shot. I am a sucker for friendship/drama/romance stories, so I hope you guys enjoyed my contribution to the mixed genre. I am happy with how this turned out, and I hope you are too.**

 **So, go ahead and leave me a review to let me know what you thought of the story; and keep an eye out for all of my future PLL "Haleb" stories. See you next time!**

 **-KairiAngel13**


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